Department for Transport

Airports

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to develop a National Airports Strategy; and if so, what is the timetable for its development.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is continuing to develop a strategic framework for the aviation sector, which will focus on key priorities over the next ten years, including ensuring the sector builds back better following the pandemic to deliver a modern, innovative and efficient UK aviation sector for the future.This framework will explore key issues facing the sector, which will include areas such as recovery, workforce and skills, regional connectivity, local environmental impacts, innovation and regulation, and consumer issues. We will also consider climate change and decarbonisation, as well as the critical role that aviation plays in maintaining the UK’s global impact.This will be published in due course.

Airports

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to consider the (1) sustainability, (2) surface access, and (3) noise levels, of airports in England.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: In July 2021, we published the Jet Zero Consultation which outlines our vision for the aviation sector to reach net zero by 2050. We continue to consider consultation responses in the development of the final Jet Zero Strategy, which we aim to publish later this year.Airports are expected to set targets for sustainable passenger and staff travel to the airport which meet the UK’s climate change goals and for these to be monitored by their respective Airport Transport Forums.The Government requires all major airports to produce strategic noise maps and develop a noise action plan to manage noise issues and effects. Government has also asked the Civil Aviation Authority to take on new noise functions from April 2022, including a new annual report on aviation noise in the UK.

Motorways: Berkshire

Lord Murphy of Torfaen: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the work on the smart motorways arrangements around Slough and Reading will be completed.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Construction work to upgrade the M4 between Junctions 8/9 and 12 to an all lane running smart motorway is complete. On this section, all traffic management and temporary speed restrictions have now been removed and work is continuing to complete the commissioning of the technology. Construction work continues between Junctions 3 and 8/9. It is due to be completed this year.

Ferries

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a ship is classed as a passenger ferry (1) with or without a carriage of vehicles, and (2) whether or not it contains freight.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: A passenger ferry, also known as a roll on-roll off (ro-ro) passenger ship is a ship capable of carrying more than 12 passengers and having ro-ro cargo, or freight, spaces. Ships defined as a ro-ro passenger ship do not always have to carry passengers and/or ro-ro cargo; the ship is certificated to have the capability to carry passengers, vehicles and cargo.

Shipping: Conditions of Employment

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government which employment legislation applies to people employed on ships (1) that are registered (a) in the UK, (b) in the EU, and (c) elsewhere in the world, and (2) which operate (i) between UK ports, (ii) between UK and EU ports, and (iii) between the UK and rest of the world.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The international principles derive from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982. The first general principle is that a ship registered in the UK remains subject at all times, wherever it is located, to domestic UK law. This principle will be the case for any flag State whether it be the UK, an EU member State or another member State in the world. Hence, in broad terms, a person upon a UK flagged ship never leaves the UK’s legal jurisdiction whilst on board that ship. As the flag State, the UK is under a duty to “effectively exercise its jurisdiction and control in all administrative, technical and social matters”. Hence the UK as flag State has primary responsibility for the ship, including criminal jurisdiction, even when the ship is outside the UK’s territorial waters.If the ship leaves UK territorial waters and enters the high seas (international waters), the UK as flag State retains exclusive jurisdiction (subject to limited exceptions) for so long as the ship remains on the high seas. The position becomes more complicated if the ship enters the territorial waters of another State, either for transit purposes or to visit a port in the other State. This is because international law recognises that different domestic jurisdictions may apply concurrently. In consequence, the UK ship, together with its crew, passengers and contents, may become subject to the domestic laws of the other State, as well as those of the UK.Within that, the application of UK employment law may depend on where the vessel is working - domestic or deep sea, for how long or on the residency or nationality of the individual seafarer.There are currently no agreed domestic employment provisions for any vessels not registered in the UK and/or the EU that are operating to or from the UK to the EU or the rest of the world. With the exception of those vessels operating on the Dover Strait, all of these vessels will enter the high seas as part of the voyage and therefore fall under the provisions previously described.

Shipping: Conditions of Employment

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to standardise employment (1) rates, and (2) conditions, for staff working on ships.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The pay and conditions are a matter for each operator to determine provided they meet the minimum legal requirement. Provisions already exist to provide national minimum wage to domestic routes such as Cairnryan to Larne or Belfast.As part of our nine-point plan to protect seafarers rights, we will introduce new laws to amend the Harbours Act 1964, to penalise ferries operating from British ports which do not pay at least the minimum wage to their workers in British waters.The extension will bring into scope the relevant parts of international ferry operations such as the Dover straits and Irish Sea routes.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Remote Working

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of civil servants at the DVLA worked from home in the last 12 months.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The information is not available in the format requested. The table below shows information on the percentage of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency staff working from home on the first Monday (or subsequent working day) of each month.DatePercentage of staff working from home7 Mar 202239.97 Feb 202240.24 Jan 202238.06 Dec 202138.31 Nov 202136.24 Oct 202135.46 Sept 202134.82 Aug 202133.45 Jul 202134.77 Jun 202134.44 May 202134.96 Apr 202133.4The vast majority of staff responsible for processing the 60,000 items of mail the DVLA receives every day can only do their work effectively in the office as it involves the handling of sensitive original documentation, for example medical information, birth certificates and passports. These staff have to attend the workplace for their contracted working hours. Staff working from home are mainly in support areas, for example, policy, finance, HR and IT. These staff are doing their jobs fully effectively remotely.The Welsh Government’s guidance, updated on 25 March, continues to ask those who can work from home to do so. The DVLA has opened up space for these staff to attend the office when they need to, such as for meetings or workshops and plans are in place to return staff to the office when restrictions lift further.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

P&O Ferries: Redundancy

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the recent actions by P&O Ferries, whether they intend to review (1) the Seafarers Directive, and (2) the 2018 amendment to the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and whether it remains their view that the amendment made enables owners of foreign flagged vessels to notify redundancies to competent authorities in the state where the vessel is registered, instead of to the Secretary of State.

Lord Callanan: The Government wrote to the Insolvency Service on 23 March asking it to undertake an urgent and thorough enquiry into the recent actions of P&O Ferries, to determine whether the law has been complied with and consider prompt and appropriate action where it has not. The Insolvency Service confirmed on 01 April that following its enquiries it has initiated both formal and civil investigations into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries. You will appreciate that while these investigations are being progressed it would not be appropriate to make further comment but the Insolvency Service will provide an update in due course.

Consumer Goods: Carbon Emissions and Environment Protection

Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to deliver on their commitment in the Net Zero Strategy to enable people to make informed choices about (1) the goods and products they buy, and (2) services they use, through exploringhow products could be labelledwith their (a) emission intensity, and (b) environmental impact.

Lord Callanan: The Government continues to evaluate the use of environmental labelling, with a view to stimulating demand for better quality items and services. This includes exploring the evidence base for environmental labelling within food production and disposal. Further, the Government has committed to introduce mandatory water-efficiency labelling to encourage consumers to buy products which avoid water wastage and reduce energy demand for heating the water. The Government is also exploring the use of labels that inform consumers of the durability, repairability and recyclability of products.

Attorney General

Financial Services: Misconduct

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to aUS appeals court overturning the conviction on 28 January of two Deutsche Bank traders accused of manipulating Libor rates, what plans, if any, they have to review the processes around investigating such offences in the UK.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is a specialist prosecuting authority tackling the top level of serious or complex fraud, bribery, and corruption. In 2012, the SFO commenced investigations into Libor manipulation which resulted in nine individuals – all holding significant positions in their respective banks – either pleading guilty or found guilty by a jury. Many of these convictions have been reviewed by the Court of Appeal and none of them have been overturned.

Department of Health and Social Care

Hikvision

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Hikvision products are in use in (1) the Department of Health and Social Care, and (2) the NHS.

Lord Kamall: There are 82 Hikvision products in use in the Department. Information on the usage of Hikvision products by the National Health Service is not collected centrally.

Department for Education

Universities: Admissions

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of theadvantages afforded touniversity applicants with at least one family member who has attended university; and whether university application forms should ask whether applicants are first-generation applicants.

Baroness Barran: Access to higher education (HE) should be based on a student’s attainment and their ability to succeed, rather than background. The Office for Students encourages Higher Education Providers (HEPs) to consider a range of characteristics that might prevent individuals from accessing or succeeding in HE within their access and participation plans. This may include ‘first in family’ status, which some research suggests is associated certain forms of socio-economic disadvantage, such as being from a low-income household and being eligible for free school meals.It should be noted that HEPs are autonomous and independent from government and are therefore responsible for their own admissions decisions. It is important that the admissions system for HE is underpinned by a commitment to fairness, quality of learning and teaching, and places student interests at its core. We will continue to work with UCAS and sector bodies to tackle problems at their root, improving transparency, reducing the use of unconditional offers, and improving the personal statement to underpin fairness for applicants of all backgrounds.

Academies: Pay

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of remuneration that chief executives of multi–academy trusts arebeing paid.

Baroness Barran: The responsibilities of school leaders have changed significantly in recent years, with many now running several academies in a multi-academy trust and taking on sponsor academies that require considerable improvement. It is therefore essential that we have the best people to lead our schools if we are to raise standards. We are clear, however, that academy trust salaries should be justifiable and reflect the local context. Consideration on pay should include factors such as: individual responsibility, retention and recruitment needs, the current and historic performance of the trust, the size of the trust, and the make-up of its academies, for example the mix of primary and secondary schools.Our expectations on this are clearly set out in the Academy Trust Handbook and our Setting Executive Salaries guidance. These documents provide the key contextual factors that trusts should be considering when setting or reviewing pay, such as educational performance, financial performance, degree of challenge at the trust, and the cost of total remuneration package. Academy trusts are transparent on pay and we have further strengthened transparency on pay by introducing new requirements for trusts to publish the number of employees whose benefits (including salary, pension contributions, taxable benefits, and termination payments) exceeded £100,000 on their website, in £10,000 bandings. Where employees are also trustees, this information must be disclosed in £5,000 bandings.The department continues to challenge high pay where it is neither proportionate nor directly linked to improving pupil outcomes. We have been reviewing our current approach to challenging high pay and will start engaging trusts on our findings and this year’s high pay activity soon. We have embedded high pay into the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s risk assessment processes for a holistic understanding of trusts we have concerns over or that are in intervention, coupled with our approach with Integrated Curriculum Financial Planning and Schools Resource Management Advisors.

Ministry of Justice

Remand in Custody: Females

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) what proportion, of women who were remanded into custody at (a) magistrates' courts, and (b) crown courts, did not subsequently receive an immediate custodial sentence, in each of the last five years.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the remand status and outcome of defendants in England and Wales at magistrates’ courts in the Remands: Magistrates' Court data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987718/remands-magistrates-court-tool-2020.xlsx and at Crown Court in the Remands: Crown Court data tool here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987720/remands-crown-court-tool-2020.xlsx.The data requested is in the tables below:Table 1: Number of female defendents with remand status of custody at magistrates' court and outcome of immediate custody, England and Wales, 2016-2020* 20162017201820192020Total remanded in custody37563860346033453022Total outcome: not immediate custody29903164285127692551Total outcome: immediate custoday766696609576471Proportion remanded in custody not receiving an immediate custodial sentence80%82%82%83%84%Source: Remands: Magistrates' Court data tool (Ministry of Justice: Data & Analysis)Table 2: Number of female defendents with remand status of custody at Crown Court and outcome of immediate custody, England and Wales, 2016-2020* 20162017201820192020Total remanded in custody20682045180619121775Total outcome: not immediate custody892844728771730Total outcome: immediate custody11761201107811411045Proportion remanded in custody not receiving an immediate custodial sentence43%41%40%40%41%Source: Remands: Remands: Crown Court data tool (Ministry of Justice: Data & Analysis)Notes*Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Prerogative of Mercy

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many royal pardons have been issued in the last 10 years.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: One Royal Prerogative of Mercy has been issued to Her Majesty the Queen in the last 10 years. Alan Turing was pardoned in December 2013. In addition, five remission pardons have been granted since 2015. We have not been able to provide the requested information regarding sentence remissions from 2012 to 2015. Information prior to 2015 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Older People

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) males, and (2) females, who are currently serving prison sentences in England and Wales are over the age of 80.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: As of 31 December 2021, there were 329 sentenced male prisoners and 2 sentenced female prisoners aged 80 or over in England and Wales. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Homicide: Sentencing

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average tariff length in months imposed for murder in each year since 2000.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The average length of the minimum term (sometimes known as a ‘tariff’) for life sentences for murder convictions since 2000 is as follows: Year of SentenceMean Tariff (years)Mean Tariff (months)200013165200113161200213156200313163200414172200515190200617208200715190200817212200917209201019227201118227201220244201320246201420245201520248201620251201720248201821253201921255202021254202121252Data sources and qualityNote that the minimum term is the time between date of sentence and tariff expiry date. The figures do not include whole-life orders. The numbers are subject to revision as more data become available; any changes in the numbers since the last publication of this information is as a result of more sentencing data becoming available. The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. Source: Public Protection Unit Database.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Palestinians: Human Rights

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian Territories that was published on 22 March.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the report. Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories is a human rights priority for the FCDO. As a friend of Israel, we have a regular dialogue on human rights. This includes encouraging the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under international law.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the approach of the government of the United States to the negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,following confirmation of the departure of three members of the United States negotiating team on 24 January.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have reached the end of talks in Vienna to restore the JCPoA. The deal on the table is a result of intensive negotiations and is based on input from all JCPoA participants, and the United States. The US has offered to lift JCPoA-related sanctions which would benefit the Iranian people. In exchange, Iran would reverse its nuclear escalation, return its nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits and restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency.We urge all parties to focus on rapidly concluding the deal and implementing it in full.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Ukraine on the future status of Russian soldiers who have defected and may be unable to return to Russia.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have had no discussions with the Government of Ukraine on the future status of Russian soldiers who have defected and may be unable to return to Russia.

Iran: Sanctions

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) possibility, and (2) impact, of the government of the United States lifting sanctions that had been imposed by US Executive Order 13876 on (a) Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, (b) President Ebrahim Raisi, (c) Vice President Mohsen Rezaei, (d) Hossein Dehghan, and (e) other Iranians associated with the Supreme Leader and accused of acts of terrorism, as part of agreement with the government of Iran on a revised Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; and what discussions they have held with the government of the United States on this matter.

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) possibility, and (2) impact, of the government of the United States lifting sanctions on the Iranian charitable foundation Bonyad Mostazafan as part of agreement with the government of Iran on a revised Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; and what discussions they have held with the government of the United States on this matter.

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) possibility, and (2) impact, of the government of the United States lifting sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as part of agreement with the government of Iran on a revised Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; and what discussions they have held with the government of the United States on this matter.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are at the end of talks to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). The deal on the table is a result of intensive negotiations and is based on input from all JCPoA participants and the United States. The US has offered to lift JCPoA-related sanctions iin exchange for Iran returning to full compliance with its nuclear commitments. In exchange, Iran would reverse its nuclear escalation, return its nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits and restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran and Russia: Sanctions

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) possibility, and (2) impact, of the government of the United Statesgranting Russia immunity from any economic sanctions relating to Iran as part of agreement with the government of Iran on a revised Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; and what discussions they have held with the government of the United States on this matter.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The sanctions in place on Russia due to their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine are entirely separate to the Iran nuclear deal. We reject attempts to exploit JCPoA negotiations to obtain assurances that are separate to the JCPoA. We have made this clear in regular E3 (France, Germany and the United Kingdom)+US lead negotiator meetings.

Development Aid: Aspergillosis

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of call by the Global Action Fund for Fungal Infections to improve diagnostic capability for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, especially aspergillus antibody detection and antifungal therapy; and whether UK aid is assisting this work.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Global Action for Fungal infections has called for improved diagnostic capability for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis. The call notes the difficulties in diagnosing chronic pulmonary aspergillosis and the similarity of symptoms to TB.Whilst the UK does not directly fund diagnosis and treatment of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, we invest in TB treatment and care through our current £1.4 billion pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and invests in research to develop new diagnostics and treatments for TB through our partner FIND (The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics). The UK's focus is to support countries to strengthen their health systems to address all causes of ill health.

India and Vietnam: Aspergillosis

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent studies in India and Vietnam that found that over the last 12 months, over 50 per cent of patients cured of TB, but with new symptoms, had the fungal infection aspergillus; what assessment they have made of estimates of the number of people who will (1) develop, and (2) die from, chronic pulmonary aspergillosi after TB; and what assistance they are providing to countries with a high prevalence of this infection (a) to address misdiagnosis, and (b) to provide treatment.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Recent studies in Vietnam and India have confirmed earlier evidence that patients who recently recovered from TB can develop pulmonary aspergillosis. In the studies, over 50% of patients who had been cured of TB and had ongoing symptoms developed chronic pulmonary aspergillosis. The studies noted that larger sample sizes were required to assess the true prevalence of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis. We have not made an assessment of the total numbers of people who will develop, or die from, chronic pulmonary aspergillosis after TB.Whilst the UK does not directly fund diagnosis and treatment of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, we invest in TB treatment and care through our current £1.4 billion pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and invests in research to develop new diagnostics and treatments for TB. The UK's focus is to support countries to strengthen their health systems to address all causes of ill health.

FSO Safer

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made to offload oil from the decaying FSO Safer tanker since a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the UN and the Houthis in Yemen; whether there is a timeline for the work to be completed; and what plans exist for dealing with the tanker afterwards.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continues to support UN-led efforts to resolve the SAFER issue through provision of a replacement vessel that would reduce the risk of a leak. We have already contributed £2.5 million towards the UN initiative and are coordinating with partners to expedite the mission. We are also working with the UN to put in place detailed contingency plans in the event a spill occurs.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made, as penholders for Yemen in the UN Security Council, in improving accountability in Yemen and the prospects for peace.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continues to use its role as penholder to support UN-led efforts towards peace in Yemen. Most recently, on 28 February the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2624, which reiterated calls for a nationwide ceasefire and for all parties to participate constructively in UN-led consultations. Resolution 2624 listed the Houthi movement under the UN arms embargo for the first time and renewed the mandate of the UN Panel of Experts. In January the former Minister for the Middle East hosted the UN Special Envoy for Yemen in London and also convened discussions amongst the UN, US, Oman, Saudi Arabia and UAE to coordinate efforts to drive forward political dialogue in Yemen.

Ukraine: Refugees

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Harrington of Watford on 22 March (HL Deb col 818), what assessment they have made of the capacity in countries neighbouring Ukraine to host the 100,000 orphans in that country; how many of those orphans have been evacuated so far; and what assistance they have provided to date to support those children.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We do not have information about the number of orphans that have been evacuated from Ukraine so far and we have not made an assessment of the capacity of neighbouring countries to host them.The UK has now committed £394 million in aid to the current crisis. This includes £220 million of humanitarian assistance which will be used to save lives and protect vulnerable people inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. It will also be used to support refugees, including children, fleeing Ukraine, through the provision of logistics, advice and analysis of needs on the ground.

Sanctions: Trusts

Lord Tyrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to passing emergency legislation to prevent the use of trusts as a means of evading sanctions imposed on oligarchs.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have been moving at pace to sanction those propping up Putin's regime. Our sanctions since the invasion cover more than 1,200 Russian and Belarussian individuals, entities and subsidiaries at the heart of, or supporting, Putin's regime. This includes travel bans and asset freezes applied to Russia's leading oligarchs, with a combined worth in excess of £100 billion. Measures taken so far are historic and are having a real impact on Putin and his war machine. Nothing and no one is off the table.

Ministry of Defence

Reserve Forces

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many reservists have been called to the colours since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Baroness Goldie: In the period from 24 February to 25 March 2022, a total of 165 Reservist personnel were accepted into permanent service (routinely known as mobilisation) under the terms of the Reserve Forces Act 1996, supporting various single Service and Defence operations.

Warships: Crew

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all operational warships have their full complement of personnel, as per the Watch Bill.

Baroness Goldie: Warships are crewed to meet the requirements of their tasking.

Warships: Ammunition and Guided Weapons

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any warship deployed outside UK waters has its full holding of (1) ammunition, and (2) missiles.

Baroness Goldie: Any disclosure detailing the current holdings of ammunition and missiles on deployed Royal Navy warships would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability and effectiveness of the Armed Forces and compromise operational security.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with UK defence manufacturers to enhance production to ensure (1) the continued supply of weapons to Ukraine, and (2) the restocking of weapons held by UK armed forces.

Baroness Goldie: The MOD continually reviews its weapons and munitions stocks to ensure it can meet its commitments, including to Ukraine, whilst maintaining sufficient stocks for the UK Armed Forces.Delivery schedules for weapons are continually reviewed, including with defence manufacturers, and subject to adjustment in accordance with evolving Defence requirements. Ministers and senior officials are in frequent contact with key suppliers.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide more (1) anti-aircraft, and (2) anti-tank, missiles to Ukraine.

Baroness Goldie: As announced by the Prime Minister on 24 March at the NATO Summit in Brussels, the UK will send an additional 6,000 missiles and provide £25 million in unrestricted funding for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, more than doubling the lethal aid we have provided to date.

Armed Forces: Injuries

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current provisions for injured (1) veterans, and (2) armed service personnel.

Baroness Goldie: The Defence Medical Services provides healthcare to serving Armed Forces personnel, to ensure that they are medically fit, mentally and physically, to undertake their duties. To overcome injuries, comprehensive rehabilitation services are provided to Service personnel, through a network of Primary Care Rehabilitation Facilities, Regional Rehabilitation Units and the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre. This includes rehabilitation for complex musculoskeletal injuries and neurological injury.NHS England and NHS Improvement have several services in place to meet the needs of veterans and their families. The Veteran Friendly GP Practice accreditation scheme supports practices to deliver the best possible care and treatment for patients who have served in the Armed Forces. It helps GP practices to identify and support their veteran patients with signposting to specialist support services. Over 1,200 GP practices are now accredited through the programme.A package of veterans' mental health support, called Op COURAGE, provides a complete mental health care pathway for veterans. Individuals benefit from personalised care plans, ensuring they can always access the support and treatment they need. This includes supporting veterans with complex mental health issues, who need more intensive support and therapies.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Deductions

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that deductions to Universal Credit payments are capped at no more than 25 per cent.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: In April 2021 we reduced the standard cap rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 30% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance enabling them to take home more of the award. These changes were brought forward from October 2021(March 2020 Budget) to April 2021 and supported Universal Credit claimants to manage financial difficulties.

Birds of Prey: Poisoning

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of relaxing regulations regarding the use of the rodenticide brodifacoum, particularly in the light of the poisoning of a white-tailed eagle in Dorset.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Regulation controlling the use of brodifacoum was established by a European Union (EU) implementing regulation in 2017 and has remained unchanged in Great Britain following the United Kingdom’s (UK) departure from the EU on 31 January 2020. A stewardship regime is in place in the UK for professional use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) including brodifacoum. A cornerstone of the stewardship scheme is the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) Code of Best Practice, which sets out guidance on the safe use of rodenticides. It is a legal requirement to comply with this code. Risk hierarchy is central to the code, which clearly states that SGARs including Brodifacoum present the greatest risk to non-target species and the environment, so they should be the last option after all other types of control have been carefully considered. The scheme also supports the monitoring of exposure of barn owls and red kites to SGARs (as a sentinel species) led by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. The stewardship scheme is overseen by a Government Oversight Group (GOG) led by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) with representatives of other government stakeholders. The GOG meets annually to assess the impact of the Stewardship scheme. This year the GOG is conducting a review of the stewardship scheme after five years of operation and will publish its findings in due course. Natural England continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident to which the Noble Lady refers, in partnership with HSE.

Universal Credit

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to use statutory instruments under the (1) affirmative, or (2) negative, procedure to introduce the full move to the Universal Credit programme, following the pilot scheme.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014 provided for transition to UC and these were amended in 2019 by the Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019 providing for managed migration. A short instrument containing some amendments to the 2014 and 2019 Regulations is being considered. This instrument will be subject to the negative procedure.

British Sign Language: Northern Ireland

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the British Sign Language Bill to extend its provisions to Northern Ireland; and if they have no such plans, whether they intend to introduce a British sign language law in Northern Ireland.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Government is committed to supporting all people with a disability, including deaf people, to lead fulfilled, independent lives. For D/deaf people, we recognise that this should include the ability to communicate with others through British Sign Language (BSL) or other forms of deaf communication. The Minister for Disabled People has been working closely with Rosie Cooper MP to support the aims and development of her Private Members Bill to promote BSL. The Bill does not extend to Northern Ireland, in recognition of the existence of both British and Irish Sign Language among the Northern Irish D/deaf community. The Northern Ireland Executive proposes to take forward its own bill recognising both of these languages. This decision also reflects the territorial scope of the Equality Act 2010, which is limited to Great Britain.

State Retirement Pensions: Uprating

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the removal of the triple lock on pensions this year on pensioner poverty.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: No such assessment has been made.

Pension Credit

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people who qualify for Pension Credit but do not claim it each year.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: According to the latest data, 770,000 people are eligible non-recipients of Pension Credit for the financial year ending 2020. The published data tables can be accessed here: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2019 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Employment: Offenders

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what training they provide to work coaches to help them to support women with criminal records or who are on probation, when they are applying for jobs.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: Work Coach learning is designed to be gender neutral, and support tailoring actions to individual customer needs. It does not specifically reference women with criminal records or who are on probation, when they are applying for jobs. Specific Universal Credit Prison Work Coach (PWC) learning is provided for Work Coaches who will be undertaking a role with prison leavers. This comprises of 47 hours of learning, blended to include facilitation, self-study and group work. The learning content can be tailored to learners’ requirements. This PWC learning aims to provide skills and knowledge without any reference to gender, preparing the PWC to support prison leavers with their Universal Credit claim and journey into employability. There is a focus on building relationships with employment partners to help create workshops and job vacancies for prison leavers. All Work Coaches including PWCs complete Complex Needs learning. This is upskilling to identify a claimant who has complex needs and be aware of the support that they can give. Concerns, such as prevalent employer attitudes to ex-offenders, stigma and common misconceptions are discussed. Learning highlights that ex-offenders are often vulnerable because they may have lived outside of the modern world for a period and may be less used to managing their own affairs. The learning provides information on what has to be declared and supports giving advice to ex-offenders on disclosure. Learning stipulates that a Work Coach must get a customer's consent before declaring that they have a conviction to an employer.

State Retirement Pensions: Yemen

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in Yemen entitled to a UK state pension are not receiving payments.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: We estimate that around 1,170 people in Yemen who are entitled to a UK State Pension are not receiving payments. Source: DWP internal management information, based on clerical estimates as at 23 March 2022.Note: This management information has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but has been provided here in the interests of transparency.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination of agricultural land.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: There is no formal Government assessment of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in agricultural land in England. The Environment Agency has undertaken some analysis of PFAS in soils as part of a work programme to examine the impacts of land spreading in England. Perfluorooctanoic acid and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, two PFAS substances which are designated Persistent Organic Pollutants, were tested in 96 soil samples collected from fields across England. None were present. Defra and the Environment Agency, working closely with other regulators, have set up a coordinated programme of work on PFAS to develop our management approach. This initiative will help to assess levels occurring in the environment, their sources, and the potential risks, to inform future policy and regulatory approaches. As part of the new UK REACH Work Programme, Defra has asked the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive to examine the risks posed by PFAS and develop a Regulatory Management Options Analysis.

Agriculture: Land

Lord Inglewood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reconsider their priorities for agriculture and rural land use policy owing to the impact of the war in Ukraine.

Lord Benyon: On 30 March the Government announced steps to assist farmers, address uncertainty and keep costs down. Planned changes to the use of urea fertiliser have been delayed by at least a year. The delay has been made to help farmers deal with rising input costs and to give them more time to adapt.The Government also published revised statutory guidance on how farmers should limit the use of slurry and other farmyard manure at certain times of the year. This will be supported through new slurry storage grants as of this year, helping farmers reduce their dependence on artificial fertiliser.Alongside this, the Government has published further details on the Sustainable Farming Incentive. The scheme will pay farmers to build the health and fertility of their soil and reduce soil erosion which are essential for sustainable food production, helping to bolster food security and longer-term resilience of the sector.The Government will pay farmers to help with the costs of sowing nitrogen fixing plants and green manures or in advance of their crops. This will help substitute some of their fertiliser requirements for the coming season and reduce their dependence on manufactured fertilisers linked to the price of gas. In addition, an industry fertiliser roundtable has been set up and chaired by the Farming Minister, to work on these issues, identify solutions and better understand the pressures facing farmers at this time.

Cereals

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage British farmers to increase grain production.

Lord Benyon: The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges in the past few years. The UK is highly self-sufficient with 88% of cereals consumed in the UK in 2020 produced domestically. The UK also produced 14 million tonnes of wheat in 2021, close to the volume of wheat consumed, and has stocks of 1.7 million tonnes. The UK also has access to global markets to buy and sell cereals. It is not Government policy to determine which cereals or other crops farmers should prioritise to include in their rotation. In 2021 we permanently removed Basic Payment Scheme 'greening measures' on crop diversification and ecological focus areas, meaning when growers are making crop planting decisions, they are free to react to market signals. We are in regular contact with representatives in the arable sector – including the National Farmers Union, major grain traders, seed and fertiliser suppliers – to discuss any potential pressures on domestic production and impacts of recent global events on supply chains. We will keep the situation under review.

Agriculture: Sustainable Development

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the emphasis on sustainable farming initiatives will be rebalanced in view of the current rise in (1) food costs, (2) fuel, and (3) fertiliser, to secure an increase in food production in this country.

Lord Benyon: We have a highly resilient food supply chain which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges. Our food import dependency on the Eastern Europe region is very low, so we do not expect any significant direct impact on UK food supply. Farmers are facing a number of challenges, including rising input costs. We are already taking a number of steps to support British farmers, including ensuring they have the workforce they need through our seasonal workers scheme, and informing policy through the establishment of the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group. On Thursday 31 March, we held an industry roundtable chaired by the Farming Minister, Victoria Prentis, to look at the issues faced by the fertiliser industry and the impact on farmers. Alongside this, last week, we announced steps to assist farmers with the availability of fertilisers to address uncertainty among growers and keep costs down for farmers. This package of measures included delaying changes to the use of urea fertiliser by at least a year; revised and improved statutory guidance has been published on how farmers should limit the use of slurry and other farmyard manure at certain times of year. Farmers will be further supported through new slurry storage grants as of this year, helping meet the Farming Rules for Water and reducing dependence on artificial fertilisers by storing organic nutrients until needed or for onward processing. We also published further detail on the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) which will help farmers move towards sustainable farming practices over time, supporting farmers to build the health and fertility of their soil and to reduce soil erosion which are essential for sustainable food production, helping to bolster food security and the longer term resilience of the sector.We believe food production and environmental protection go hand in hand; they are two sides of the same coin. That is why the SFI will open for early rollout of core elements of the scheme in summer 2022, to allow us to make the first SFI payments before the end of the year. We are planning to introduce a Nutrient Management Standard to the SFI in 2023 that will reward growers who make better use of naturally occurring sources of crop nutrients. Given current fertiliser prices, the priority must be to pioneer new technologies to manufacture more organic-based fertiliser products, and rediscover techniques such as using nitrogen fixing legumes and clovers as an alternative to fertiliser.

Animal Feed

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the increase in the cost of (1) wheat, and (2) other feedstuffs, on all farmers, particularly pig producers.

Lord Benyon: Defra is monitoring the position on wheat closely, alongside other commodities which are used to make up animal feed rations for all species including the pig sector, with regular intelligence from industry on both availability and price. Domestic production of wheat comprises 85% of demand, which means the UK is less exposed to import availability than other countries, or on some other products. Currently, there is no direct impact of the Ukraine crisis on UK wheat imports. Defra is working closely with its industry-led groups – the Arable Chain Advisory Group and Agri-Supply Coalition – alongside UK Flour Millers to monitor the wheat situation, including on prices. We are also working closely with grain trader associations including the Grain and Feed Trade Association, Openfield, Seed Crushers and Oil Processors Association, and cross cutting organisations including the NFU, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, the Agricultural Industries Confederation and pet food manufacturers.

Animal Products: Imports

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a ban on the import of hunting trophies.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We have pledged to bring forward legislation to ban imports of hunting trophies from thousands of species. This ban will be among the strongest in the world, leading the way in protecting endangered animals. We intend to bring this forward as soon as parliamentary time allows.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many common health entry documents were presented and processed for goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain in each week since 1 January 2022.

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatestimate theyhave made of the weekly number of common health entry documents which would need to be presented and processed if the terms of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland were being implemented without arrangements such as grace periods.

Lord Benyon: The Government does not hold the information on how many common health entry documents (CHEDs) were presented and processed for goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, as common health entry documents are submitted to Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). According to DAERA’s estimations, if the grace periods were not in place, it is estimated that Northern Ireland’s Points of Entry would be required to process in excess of 12,500 CHEDs per week across all consignment types. These would also require a significant number of identity and physical checks.

Home Office

Refugees: Ukraine

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will accept expired forms of government identification if a Ukrainian applicant to theUkrainian Family Scheme and the Ukrainian Sponsorship scheme has no other form of identification.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We will accept an expired UKR international passport with a formal extension stamp issued by the Ukrainian government. If customers do not hold a valid passport, they will need to attend a visa application centre to provide their biometric information, but are still able to apply to the two schemes.

Immigration Officers

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 21 March (HL6429), what is the percentage increase in the number of staff allocated to passport control at points of entry and exit from the UK since the start of this year; and what plans they have to increase the numbers of staff (1) employed, (2) trained, and (3) available, to undertake this work in the next six months.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Ports constantly review their resourcing levels and Border Force’s National Operations centre monitors passenger flow across the UK, deploying staff to respond to pressure points and deprioritising non-essential work. This includes identifying and acting appropriately to mitigate the impact of COVID on staffing levels and maximising resource at the front line. Border Force has increased its workforce by 3% over 2020/2021 financial year to over 9,300 staff, with a large proportion of those staff trained and deployed to front line operations. Border Force is sending extra officers to ports to help manage passenger flow, by redeploying existing staff, using temporary staff and contractors, moving trained staff out of back-office functions, and offering overtime to increase frontline resilience where we can.

Question

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherpublic affairs companies that represent (1) Russian, or (2) Chinese, state-owned clients will be required to declare their interest as part of the proposed legislation introducing a register of lobbyists working on behalf of hostile states.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government consulted on a range of legislative proposals to counter state threats to ensure our security services and law enforcement agencies continue to have the tools they need to effectively tackle state threats. The Home Office is reviewing and considering all responses to the public consultation and will bring forward legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the criteria used by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to assess applicants for the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme (1) gives priority to religious minorities, in particular Hazara Shias, and (2) meets the priorities identified by the Home Office for the scheme.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January, providing up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK. The scheme will prioritise those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for UK values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech and rule of law; and vulnerable people such as members of minority groups, including ethnic and religious minorities, as well as women and girls at risk, and LGBT+. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will refer refugees to the scheme. Those referred by UNHCR will be assessed for resettlement by UNHCR using their established process, and in line with their resettlement submission categories. The third referral pathway will focus on those at risk who supported the UK and international community effort in Afghanistan and the region. In the first year of this third referral pathway, the Government will offer ACRS places to eligible at-risk British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be in touch with those eligible to support them through the next steps. Beyond the first year of the third pathway, we will work with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of people who are at risk in Afghanistan and the region.

Health Services: Migrants

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the total amount raised by the immigration healthcare surcharge to date; and what has been the cost of collecting it.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) income data is published annually in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts. See page 161 of the Home Office 2020-21 Annual Report and Accounts for the most recent disclosure of Immigration Health Surcharge income HO annual report and accounts 2020-21 (publishing.service.gov.uk). Reports relating to previous financial years are available at the following link HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Information relating to financial year 2021/22 will be available once the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts have been audited by National Audit Office and laid before Parliament.A summary of the published annual amounts of income to date is detailed below:IHS (£m)2015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21Published Accounts Income169.11210.25240.48298.47597.68480.82 Due to commercial sensitivity the Home Office cannot disclose information on the associated administration costs of the IHS.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

P&O Ferries: Freeports

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to withdraw P&O contracts for freeportsfollowing its decision to terminate the employment of 800 staff members.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Business Secretary wrote to the Insolvency Service on 23 March asking them to urgently undertake a thorough enquiry into the actions of P&O Ferries. Following this review the Insolvency Service confirmed on 1st April they have initiated both formal criminal and civil investigations into the circumstances surrounding the recent redundancies made by P&O Ferries.On 28 March 2022 DP World resigned from the Solent Freeport Board and are no longer a partner in the Freeport consortium.The Government is continuing to work to understand whether DP World or P&O Ferrymasters are in breach of any of the requirements on them as investors in the Thames Freeport.

Levelling Up Fund

Lord Inglewood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether those assessing the applications for the Levelling Up fund will be seeking (1) clarity, and (2) additional information, from the applicants if they have further questions.

Lord Greenhalgh: We are delighted to have launched the second round of the Levelling Up Fund on 23 March, with the publication of an updated prospectus.We will shortly publish an updated technical note, which will provide applicants with detailed guidance on the application and assessment process, including timelines and the process for applicants to submit their bids.

Cabinet Office

Kate Josephs

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord True on 24 March (HL6920 and HL7071), why giving dates of any communication regarding (1) Ms Kate Josephs, and (2) the Cabinet Office leaving party she attended on 17 December 2020, is (a) not appropriate at this time, and (b) would undermine a police investigation.

Lord True: I refer the noble Lord to my previous answers to Questions HL6920 and HL7071 on 24 March 2022. It would not be appropriate to either confirm or deny whether the Cabinet Office has had any communications with any individuals in order to preserve the confidentiality and integrity of investigation processes.

Government Departments: Procurement

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many contractors have been refused government contracts in excess of £5 million on the basis of guidelines for prompt payment in government contracting; and what assessment they have made of the level of compliance in public sector contracts with the provision that 95 per cent of invoices should be paid within 60 days.

Lord True: Individual departments are responsible for the implementation of the prompt payment exclusion measure and decisions on their own procurements. The Cabinet Office has been made aware of at least seven suppliers that have been excluded from procurements wholly, or in part, on grounds of non-compliance with the requirements to pay their suppliers promptly. The UK’s large businesses are required to report on a half yearly basis on their payment practices, policies and performance. All information is publically available. Since the implementation of the prompt payment measure in Central Government contracts in September 2019, through businesses' published payment data, there have been some significant improvements in the prompt payment performance of key Government suppliers.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Sports: Facilities

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure maximum use of (1) government, and (2) school, sports facilities to provide access for (a) local clubs, and (b) the general public, during evenings, weekends and the school holidays.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: We have announced £30 million for PE teacher training and to open up school facilities to provide access to the wider community. At the recent Spending Review, we announced £205 million to build or transform up to 8,000 state-of-the-art community football pitches and multi-use sports facilities across the UK. This was in addition to a £30 million package to renovate park tennis courts across the country.

Gambling Act 2005 Review

Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the findings of their review of the Gambling Act 2005.

Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value of voluntary industry initiatives around responsible gambling.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: HM Government welcomes the progress by industry to introduce new safer gambling measures over recent years, but both the Government and the Gambling Commission will continue to mandate further action where it is required. As part of its broad scope, the Gambling Act Review is looking at whether the right controls are in place to protect people who gamble in the digital age. We are considering the evidence carefully and will publish a White Paper outlining conclusions in the coming weeks.

Gambling

Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many ministers have accepted hospitality from gambling firms since the launch of the gambling review in December 2020; and what is the cumulative value of such hospitality.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Records of ministerial hospitality are published quarterly and are available on GOV.UK. This link also declares all meetings. There has been a wide-ranging series of meetings with a number of gambling stakeholders to support the ongoing Gambling Act Review. There have also been meetings with the gambling industry on other issues, for instance its relationship with racing and the impacts of the Covid pandemic.